It's well known that Ethan is a big Chiefs fan. However, there's something else that both Ethan and Ellie love just as much, if not more. That thing is NASCAR. Surprising, right? Since the first time the two sat down and actually paid attention to a race, they were hooked. Sure, it had something to do with Ross Chastain spiking a watermelon into the ground after a victory but I'm not going to complain about the kids and me having a shared interest. Bethany, for her part, alternates between begrudging acceptance and actual enjoyment based on the particular Sunday.
The thing about being a fan of NASCAR is that there's not exactly a strong and active fanbase around the Kansas City metro. If we lived somewhere like Charlotte or Daytona, I'm sure that would be different but it's not the case here. However, twice a year, the NASCAR Cup Series makes its way to the Kansas Speedway which provides us with a weekend of fun NASCAR-related activities to pursue.
The start to our fun was on Friday while Ellie was at school. I had spent the past few days fervently searching for show car appearances so that Ethan could see an actual race car in person. While nothing was super close, I did find that there was a show car appearance at a McDonald's near Bethany's work. Therefore, the little man and I loaded up and headed towards Kansas to see a race car. When we first pulled into the McDonald's, I was a little perplexed to see the lack of people around. Then, after making a lap around the building, I was doubly perplexed to see the lack of show car there. As it turned out, the web site that I had read about the appearance on was mistaken and it wasn't until the following day.
While Ethan and I were definitely disappointed, we decided to make the best of a bad situation and decided to head over to the Speedway to see if there was any excitement happening around the grounds. While it was too early for any action, we did happen to find all of the NASCAR haulers parked along an access road into the track. While we certainly lacked the proper credentials to gain entry, that didn't stop me from asking an security guard for permission to enter. Much to my surprise, he told us to go on and check out the haulers and to just flip a u-turn and come back out that entrance when we were done. As we drove down the street, Ethan was definitely stoked to see the haulers of some of his favorite racers such as Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe. He just couldn't get enough! Eventually though, we had to turn around and exit the track.
Fast forward to Saturday. As far as I knew, I definitely had nothing NASCAR-related on the agenda and that was ok. With Bethany and the kids having a playdate at the park, I figured it was a fantastic time for me to get a much-needed haircut. Keeping that in mind, I headed to my local Sport Clips as soon as it opened to get just that. Upon my arrival, I took my seat in the lobby and waited for my stylist to call me back. As I waited, I took note of the guy who came in just before me as he situated himself in the big chair. As he took off his cap, I began to think he looked vaguely familiar. I then started searching through my memory banks until I thought I knew who it was. With that, I finally spoke up and asked, "This may be a weird thing to ask, but are you Chase Briscoe?"
For those not in the know, Chase Briscoe is the driver of the #14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. In other words, not a normal person to see in the local Sport Clips just a mile from my home. Sure enough though, the man turned his head to look at me and said, "Yes, I sure am." That was definitely the beginning of one of the more random experiences of my life which resulted in me getting to have a legitimate back and forth conversation with one of my favorite NASCAR Cup drivers while getting haircuts at the same time. Before he left to head to the track, Chase even took the time to take a quick photo with me just so I could prove to Bethany and the kids that the encounter really did happen. I honestly can't brag on the guy enough as a person. While it would have been totally understandable for him to want to just keep to himself, he actually asked a lot of questions about me and wanted to know about my family and stuff. Just a super cool and humble guy overall.
On Sunday, obviously, the biggest NASCAR-related thing of the day was the actual race. While we certainly made plans to watch the race, I also had something else in store for the kids. That was a trip to Andy's Frozen Custard in Liberty to see an actual show car. Unlike Friday, this was actually a successful trip in multiple fashions. For one thing, both Ellie and Bethany were along for the ride in this instance. For another, the two of them got to share a $2 sundae during our time there. The really exciting thing though was the kids getting a chance to see a NASCAR race car up close. While Ethan was oddly sad about the experience, it was awesome to see Ellie having fun.
Overall, I'd say that weekend was certainly full of NASCAR-themed experiences and a rousing success overall. Ok, if I'm being honest, I could have done nothing else the entire weekend and just been excited about meeting Chase Briscoe. I'm a fan, what can I say?
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